Editing Rzeszów (section)

==History==
In the area of Rzeszów, the first [[early European modern humans]] appeared in the [[Upper Paleolithic|late Paleolithic Age]]; archaeologists have excavated a tool made in that period at site Rzeszów 25. In the mid-6th century BC, the first farmers came to the area of the city, most likely through the [[Moravian Gate]]. Later on, Rzeszów was a settlement of the [[Lusatian culture]], which was followed by the [[Przeworsk culture]].{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In the 7th century, the first [[Slavs]] appeared in the area, which is confirmed by numerous archaeological findings.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} Most probably, Rzeszów was then inhabited by the [[Vistulans]]. In the 10th century, it became part of the emerging [[Duchy of Poland (c. 960–1025)|Duchy of Poland]]. Sometime between 11th and 13th century the town was conquered and subsequently annexed by the [[East Slavs|East Slavic]] [[Ruthenians]] from the [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty#Fragmentation of the realm (1138–1320)|weakened and fragmented Polish state]] (see [[Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty|Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth]]).

Polish rulers of the [[Piast dynasty]] recaptured Rzeszów in 1264. In [[Tarnów]], there was a meeting of Prince [[Bolesław V the Chaste]], and Prince [[Daniel of Galicia|Daniel]] of [[Principality of Galicia|Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia]], during which both sides agreed that the border would go between Rzeszów and [[Czudec]] (Rzeszów belonged to [[Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia]], while Czudec and [[Strzyżów]] to [[Lesser Poland]]).

After the reunification of Poland following the fragmentation period, Rzeszów remained in Ruthenian hands until 1340, when King [[Casimir III the Great]] eventually recaptured the area, inviting his knights to govern the re-acquired land. According to some sources, at that time Rzeszów was inhabited by the [[Walddeutsche]], and was called Rishof (during [[World War II]], the Germans renamed it ''Reichshof''). The town was granted [[Magdeburg rights]], it had a parish church, a market place and a cemetery, and its total area was some 1,5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. Magdeburg rights entitled Rzeszów's local authorities to punish criminals, build fortifications and tax merchants.

[[File:Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Nobleman [[Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza]] greatly contributed to the city's importance]]
In 1458 Rzeszów was burned by the [[Vlachs]] and the [[Tatars]]. In 1502 the Tatars destroyed it again. Earlier, in 1427, Rzeszów had burned to the ground in a big fire, but the town recovered after these events, thanks to its favorable location on the main West – East ([[Kraków]] – [[Lwów]]) and North – South ([[Lublin]] – [[Slovakia]]) trade routes. In the 15th century the first [[Jew]]s settled in Rzeszów.

The 16th century was the time of prosperity for the town, especially when Rzeszów belonged to [[Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza]] (since the 1580s), who invested in infrastructure, building a castle, a Bernardine church and a monastery. Rzeszów then had some 2,500 inhabitants, with a rapidly growing Jewish community. The town was granted several royal rights, including the privilege to organise several markets a year. At that time, Rzeszów finally grew beyond its medieval borders, marked by fortifications.

[[File:WiedemannRzeszow.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rzeszów Castle]] with surroundings, by K.H. Wiedemann, 1762]]

In 1638 Rzeszów passed into the hands of the powerful and wealthy [[Lubomirski family]], becoming the center of its vast properties. At first, the town prospered and in 1658, the first college was opened there, which now operates as High School Nr 1. The period of prosperity ended, and furthermore, there were several fires and wars, which destroyed the town.

Rzeszów was first captured by the Swedes during [[Deluge (history)|The Deluge]], then by the troops of [[George II Rákóczi]] leading to the [[Treaty of Radnot]]. During the [[Great Northern War]], the Swedes again captured Rzeszów, in 1702, then several different armies occupied the town, ransacking it and destroying houses.

In the mid-eighteenth century, the town's population was composed of Poles (Roman Catholics) and Yiddish Jews in almost equal numbers (50.1% and 49.8%, respectively).<ref>J. Motylkiewicz. "Ethnic Communities in the Towns of the Polish-Ukrainian Borderland in the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries". C. M. Hann, P. R. Magocsi ed. ''Galicia: A Multicultured Land''. [[University of Toronto Press]]. 2005. p. 37.</ref>

=== Rzeszów under Austrian rule ===
In 1772, following the [[First Partition of Poland]], Rzeszów became part of the [[Austrian Empire]], to which it belonged for 146 years. In the late 18th century, Rzeszów had 3,000 inhabitants. By the mid-19th century, the population grew to around 7,500, with 40% of them Jewish. In 1858, the [[Galician Railway of Archduke Charles Louis]] reached Rzeszów, which resulted in further development of the town. In 1888 the first telephone lines were opened, in 1900 – gas street lamps, and in 1911 – a power plant and water system. The population grew to 23,000, with half of the inhabitants being Jews. A number of modern buildings were constructed, most of them in [[Secession (art)|Secession]] style.

[[File:Rzeszow - rynek glowny. 1908 (89975817).jpg|thumb|left|Market Square in 1908]]
During [[World War I]], several battles took place near the town. Rzeszów was home to a large garrison of the [[Austro-Hungarian Army]], and in the city of [[Przemyśl]], located nearby, there was a major fortress. During the [[Battle of Galicia]] in the late summer of 1914, Russian troops moved towards Rzeszów, and on 21 September, they captured it. The first Russian occupation lasted only 16 days, ending after an attack by the Austrians, on 4 October.

Under Russian pressure, the Austrians were unable to keep the town, and on 7 November, the Russians again appeared in Rzeszów. In the late fall of 1914, the front line was established between Tarnów and [[Gorlice]], and Rzeszów became an important center of the [[Imperial Russian Army]], with large magazines of food and ammunition located there. The Russian occupation lasted until May 1915. After the Russians were pushed out of Galicia, Rzeszów remained outside the area of military activity. The Austrian administration returned, but wartime reality and damage to the town had a negative effect on the population, and the quality of life deteriorated.

===Interwar period===
[[File:Rzeszow, Plac Farny 1938 (68115890).jpg|thumb|''Plac Farny'' in 1938]]
On 12 October 1918, Rzeszów's mayor, together with the town council, sent a message to [[Warsaw]], announcing loyalty to the independent [[Second Polish Republic]]. On November 1, after clashes with German and Austrian troops, Rzeszów was liberated, and the next day, mayor Roman Krogulski took a pledge of allegiance to the reborn Polish state. During World War I some 200 residents of Rzeszów died, rail infrastructure was destroyed, as well as approximately 60 houses.

In 1920, Rzeszów became capital of a county in the [[Lwów Voivodeship]]. The town grew, and the creation of the [[Central Industrial Region (Poland)|Central Industrial Region]] had an enormous impact on Rzeszów. It became a major center of the defense industry, with [[Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze|PZL]] Rzeszów opening there in 1937. It was also home to a large garrison of the Polish Army, with the [[10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade (Poland)|10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade]] stationed there. In 1939, Rzeszów had 40,000 inhabitants, but its dynamic growth was stopped by the [[Invasion of Poland]] and outbreak of [[World War II]].

===Second World War===
[[File:Flugmotorenwerke Reichshof GmbH (1941).jpg|thumb|left|Aircraft engine factory during German occupation]]
On 6–8 September 1939, Rzeszów was bombed by the [[Luftwaffe]]. The town was defended by the [[10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade (Poland)|10th Cavalry Brigade]] and [[Uhlans|24th Uhlan Regiment]] from [[Kraśnik]]. The German attack began on 8 September in the afternoon, and the [[Wehrmacht]] entered Rzeszów the next morning. The ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe I]]'' entered the city to commit [[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation|crimes against the population]], and its members co-formed the local German police.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|pages=58–59}}</ref> Under German occupation, Rzeszów, renamed into ''Reichshof'', became part of the [[General Government]].

The occupiers established a Nazi prison, in which they imprisoned over 1,100 Poles, especially the [[intelligentsia]], arrested in the region between October 1939 and June 1940, during the ''[[Intelligenzaktion]]''.<ref name=mw>Wardzyńska, p. 257</ref> Some people were eventually released, some were deported to prisons in [[Kraków]] and [[Tarnów]], while many were executed at the prison yard.<ref name=mw/> On 2 November 1939, the Germans carried out mass arrests of local priests and Bernardine friars, and afterwards, they also carried out executions of Polish intelligentsia at the local Bernardine monastery.<ref>Wardzyńska, pp. 257–258</ref>

Persecution of Polish intelligentsia was continued with the ''[[German AB-Aktion in Poland|AB-Aktion]]'', and on 27 June 1940, 104 Poles from the local prison were exterminated in the forest of [[Lubzina]].<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 269</ref> In 1941, the Germans established a [[Nazi ghettos|ghetto]], whose Jewish inhabitants were later murdered in [[Bełżec extermination camp]] (for more information see ''The Holocaust'' below).

[[File:Monument to Home Army in Rzeszów (2022)b.jpg|thumb|[[Home Army]] Monument]]
During the war, Rzeszów was a main center of the [[Polish Underground State]], with the Rzeszów Inspectorate of the [[Home Army]] covering several counties. On 25 May, during Action Kosba, Home Army soldiers killed the [[Gestapo]] henchmen Friederich Pottenbaum and Hans Flaschke on a Rzeszów street. In the summer of 1944, during [[Operation Tempest]], units of the Home Army attacked German positions in the town, and on 2 August, Rzeszów was in the hands of the Home Army.

Polish authorities loyal to the [[Polish government-in-exile]] tried to negotiate with the Soviets, but without success. The [[NKVD]] immediately opened a prison in the cellars of the Rzeszów Castle, sending there a number of Home Army soldiers. On the night of 7/9 October 1944, a Home Army unit under [[Łukasz Ciepliński]] attacked the castle, trying to release 400 inmates kept there. The attack failed, and [[1951 Mokotów Prison execution|Ciepliński was captured and subsequently executed in 1951]].

====The Holocaust====
[[File:Rzeszów, Synagoga Staromiejska w Rzeszowie DZolopa 2019-08-17 152252 1333.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Old Town Synagogue]]

Before the outbreak of World War II, the Jews of Rzeszów numbered 14,000, more than one-third of the total population.<ref name="Virtual">{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0017_0_17208.html|title=Rzeszow|work=jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=5 February 2010}}</ref> The town was occupied by the German Army on 10 September 1939 and was renamed "Reichshof".<ref name="Virtual" /> German [[Persecution of Jews|persecution of the Jews]] began almost immediately. By the end of 1939, there were 10 [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps in the Rzeszów region and many Jews became [[Slavery|slave labour]]ers. Jews were forced to live in the [[Gestapo]]-controlled [[Nazi ghettos|ghetto]].<ref name="Virtual" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deathcamps.org/occupation/rzeszow%20ghetto.html|title=Rzeszow Ghetto|access-date=28 April 2017}}</ref>

Many Jews managed to flee to [[Kresy|Soviet-occupied eastern Poland]]. By June 1940, the number of Jews in Rzeszów had decreased to 11,800, of whom 7,800 were pre-war residents of the city; the rest were from the surrounding villages. As in all [[List of Jewish ghettos in German-occupied Poland|Jewish ghettos in German-occupied Poland]], life in the ghetto was impossible and hundreds died of malnutrition and disease. During the war, some 20,000 Jews were murdered in the ghetto in Rzeszów. This number includes thousands who were sent to Rzeszów only to be deported or murdered soon after arrival.<ref name="JVL"/><ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/rzeszow.html|title=Rzeszow www.HolocaustResearchProject.org|access-date=28 April 2017}}</ref>

In the summer of 1942, hundreds were murdered in forests near Rzeszów. Hundreds more were sent to [[Belzec extermination camp|Belzec]] to be immediately gassed. Later in 1942, another round up sent nearly 1,500 children to their deaths and their parents to labor camps. In final "[[Aktion]]s" in the fall of 1943, most Jewish slave labour was transported in [[Holocaust trains]] to the newly reopened [[Szebnie concentration camp]]. A month later, on 5 November 1943, some 2,800 Jews were deported to [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]] and murdered.<ref name="JVL">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0017_0_17208.html|title=Rzeszow. Holocaust Period|author=Stefan Krakowski|year=2013|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Judaica|publisher=Jewish Virtual Library|access-date=8 July 2013|quote=In September 1943 the able-bodied Jews of Rzeszów were transported to Szebnia, where the majority met their death.}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> Most of those who had been sent to labor camps were eventually murdered there or in an extermination camp.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dobroszycki |first1=Lucjan |title=Survivors of the Holocaust in Poland |date=1994 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |location=Armonk, NY |isbn=1-56324-463-2 |pages=73, 80}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Megargee |first1=Geoffrey |title=Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos |date=2012 |publisher=University of Indiana Press |location=Bloomington, Indiana |isbn=978-0-253-35599-7 |page=Volume I 567–569I}}</ref>

Of Rzeszów's 14,000 Jews, only 100 survived the war, whether in Rzeszów itself, hiding all over Poland, or in various camps. The secret [[Żegota|Polish Council to Aid Jews, "Żegota"]], established by the [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance movement]], operated in the region.<ref>{{cite book|last=Datner|first=Szymon|year=1968|title=Las sprawiedliwych|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Książka i Wiedza|page=71}}</ref> Cases are also known of local Poles who were captured and either executed or sent to concentration camps for [[Rescue of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust|rescuing and aiding Jews]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej|year=2014|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|pages=241, 360}}</ref> Poles who saved Jews in other places in the region were also temporarily imprisoned in the local castle or sentenced to death by the local German court.<ref>''Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej'', pp. 66, 78, 98, 106, 384</ref> After the war, an additional 600 Rzeszów Jews returned from the [[Soviet Union]]. Almost all of them subsequently left Rzeszów and Poland.

=== People's Republic and present times ===
[[File:PodkarpackiUrządWojewódzki-POL, Rzeszów.jpg|thumb|Subcarpathian Voivodeship Office (''Podkarpacki Urząd Wojewódzki'') in Rzeszów]]

After rumors of the murder of a Christian girl in the city surfaced, on 1 June 1945,<ref name=":0" /> or after the mutilated body of 9-year-old Bronisława Mendoń was found in the basement of a tenement building largely inhabited by Holocaust survivors on 11 June 1945,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2021-06-17 |title=Tajemnicza zbrodnia i odwet |url=https://plus.dziennikpolski24.pl/tajemnicza-zbrodnia-i-odwet/ar/c15-15666454 |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=plus.dziennikpolski24.pl |language=pl}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Marcinkowska |first=Halina Hila |date=2019-11-30 |title=Pogromy z 1945 i 1946 roku. Krwawe wydarzenia we wspomnieniach świadków |url=https://wielkahistoria.pl/pogromy-z-1945-i-1946-roku-krwawe-wydarzenia-w-rzeszowie-krakowie-i-kielcach-we-wspomnieniach-swiadkow/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=WielkaHistoria |language=pl-PL}}</ref> the [[Milicja Obywatelska|Polish Communist Citizens' Militia]] arrested all of Rzeszów's remaining Jews,<ref name=":0" /> or the Jewish inhabitants of the area and some Jews transiting through the railway station,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> and led them through the city amidst an angry crowd, while at the same time looting the homes of the arrested Jews. All of the arrested people were released the same day, but the main suspect, who was linked to the crime through a sheet of paper from Mendoń's notebook and bloodstains in his flat,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Włusek |first=Andrzej |date=2015-08-21 |title=Czy wiesz jaką ponurą tajemnicę kryje rzeszowska kamienica przy ul. Okrzei? » Historykon.pl |url=https://historykon.pl/czy-wiesz-jaka-ponura-tajemnice-kryje-rzeszowska-kamienica-przy-ul-okrzei/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=Historykon.pl |language=pl-PL}}</ref> was arrested on June 14 and held until September.<ref name=":1" /> As a result, more than 200 Jews fled Rzeszów, so that a restoration of Jewish life in the city after 1945 failed to materialize.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|author=Dan Diner|title=Enzyklopädie jüdischer Geschichte und Kultur (EJGK)|volume= 3: He–Lu|publisher= Metzler|place= Stuttgart/Weimar|year= 2012|isbn=978-3-476-02503-6|pages=345}}</ref>

On 7 July 1945, Rzeszów became capital of the newly created [[Rzeszów Voivodeship]], which consisted of western counties of prewar Lwów Voivodeship, and several counties of prewar [[Kraków Voivodeship (1919–1939)|Kraków Voivodeship]]. This decision had a major impact on the city, as it quickly grew. New offices of the regional government were built, and in 1951, several neighbouring villages were included within the city limits of Rzeszów, and the area of the city grew to 39&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.

Before the [[Polish People's Republic]] deported [[Ukrainians in Poland|ethnic Ukrainians]] to the western "[[Recovered Territories]]" in [[Operation Vistula]], the city was a major base of support for the [[Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists]] during the [[Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1953)|Polish anti-communist resistance.]]<ref>Applebaum, Anne (2012). ''Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956''. New York USA: Doubleday. p. 130-132. {{ISBN|978-0-385-51569-6}}.</ref>

In 1971 and 1977, further villages were included within the city limits. In early 1981, Rzeszów was a main center of [[Rural Solidarity#Creation of the organization|farmer protests]], who occupied local offices for fifty days, which resulted in the signing of the [[Rural Solidarity#Rzeszów-Ustrzyki Agreement|Rzeszów – Ustrzyki Agreement]], and the creation of [[Rural Solidarity]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

On 1 January 1999, the city became the capital of [[Podkarpackie Voivodeship]]. Its population grew to 170,000, and area to 91,43&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.

In 2004, Rzeszów hosted the [[Central European Olympiad in Informatics]] (CEOI).{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

In 2017–2021, Rzeszów's city limits were greatly expanded by including the villages of [[Bzianka, Rzeszów County|Bzianka]],<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 19 lipca 2016 r. w sprawie ustalenia granic niektórych gmin i miast, nadania niektórym miejscowościom statusu miasta oraz zmiany nazwy gminy|year=2016|number=1134}}</ref> [[Miłocin, Podkarpackie Voivodeship|Miłocin]]<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 25 lipca 2018 r. w sprawie ustalenia granic niektórych gmin i miast oraz nadania niektórym miejscowościom statusu miasta|year=2018|number=1456}}</ref> and [[Pogwizdów Nowy]].<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 31 lipca 2020 r. w sprawie ustalenia granic niektórych gmin i miast, nadania niektórym miejscowościom statusu miasta, zmiany nazwy gminy oraz siedziby władz gminy|year=2020|number=1332}}</ref> The area of Rzeszów increased to over 120 square kilometres and more than 188,000 inhabitants.

In 2022 following the February [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Rzeszów became a "main artery" and hub for resupply of military material being transshipped to [[Ukraine]] from a number of countries of the Western alliance, including Sweden, Turkey, Germany, the U.S., and the Czech Republic.<ref name=wsj20220323>{{cite news |title=Weapons for Ukraine's Fight Against Russia Flow Through Small Polish Border Towns |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/weapons-for-ukraines-fight-against-russia-flow-through-small-polish-border-towns-11648066417 |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |date=23 March 2022 |access-date=24 March 2022 }}</ref>

In June 2022, Rzeszów formed a partnership agreement with [[Chernihiv|Chernihiv, Ukraine]] to become sister cities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rzeszow signs partnership agreement with Chernihiv |url=https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/3512211-rzeszow-signs-partnership-agreement-with-chernihiv.html |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=www.ukrinform.net |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rzeszow Signs Partnership Agreement With Chernihiv {{!}} MENAFN.COM |url=https://menafn.com/1104411532/Rzeszow-Signs-Partnership-Agreement-With-Chernihiv |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=menafn.com}}</ref>

====Papal visit====
In 1991 [[Pope John Paul II]] visited Rzeszów. During the celebrations in which nearly 1,000,000 people participated, the pope beatified Bishop [[Józef Sebastian Pelczar]], former bishop of [[Przemyśl]]. On 25 March 1992 Pope John Paul II established the new Diocese of Rzeszów.<ref name="Serwis">{{cite web|url=http://www.rzeszow.pl/en/history/history-of-rzeszow |title=Serwis informacyjny UM Rzeszów – History of Rzeszów |work=rzeszow.pl |access-date=5 February 2010 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The city of Rzeszów became the administrative center of the new Diocese and the Church of the Sacred Heart became the new city cathedral.<ref name="Serwis"/>

[[File:Podgórze Rzeszowskie1.jpg|thumb|center|700px|Countryside surrounding Rzeszów]]